I would like to thank Bold Strokes Books and the Netgalley website for this partnership.

It all starts when Gisèle's cell phone rings and on the other end of the line there is a dead woman. Gisèle and her partner Marta are preparing for the birth of their child. There is horrible confusion : the body found in the bay is not Marta's supervisor's because she asks them for help. They are going to stumble upon illegal organ transplants, black market sales and terrorist-related activities. The killer's desperate to keep his trafficking from being discovered.

A book read in one go, so much so that I hooked on the story so captivating, addictive and full of suspense and twists with endearing characters. I feel like reading this author's other book: "The deep end".

It was an okay story but why would anyone pregnant risk their life and the life of their unborn child? Somehow the ending didn't make sense either.

This is the second book by Ellie Hart, and I haven't read the first one, 'The Deep End'. It didn't make any difference to me as I had no issues following the plot.

When her phone rings, Giselle Cutler answers it—and finds herself speaking to a dead woman. As Giselle and her partner Marta Perry get ready for the birth of their baby, the last thing they expect is to be drawn into another mystery. But there’s been a horrible mix-up with identification of a body found in the bay, and Marta’s supervisor Chrissy Burton is very much alive and desperate for their help. Intrigue turns deadly as they uncover illegal organ transplants, black market sales, and ties to international terrorism. The killer is willing to do anything to keep the public from knowing how the transplant system really works, even if it means killing Giselle and Marta.

I really enjoyed the mystery element to this novel and it was a pleasant change to read one without much romance as part of the sub-plot. The main characters, Giselle and Marta, were in a long-term and established relationship, already committed to one another and with a baby on the way.

Although I didn't relate to them particularly, they grew on me as characters and were great as a couple. Having been together for twenty years they had a comfortable way with one another and a clear understanding of each other’s individualities and peculiarities.

There was plenty of reality in this mystery to keep me engaged in the story and wanting more and for me, it was a solid and worthwhile read. Rating: 4 stars.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

I enjoyed the fact that this book highlights the ups and downs of a long-term relationship. Giselle and Marta have been together for twenty years and are now embarking on a new chapter of their lives together. Ms. Hart does not allow us to think that life is a fairy tale. Instead we are treated, and yes, I did say treated, to the hills and valleys of maintaining a relationship. However, this does not come at the expense of allowing these characters the opportunity to jump head first into solving a murder mystery. There is reality and enough fantasy in this novel to keep the reader engaged and wanting more. I did not ready the first book, but I will remedy that situation shortly so that I have a better understanding of the dynamic between Giselle and Marta. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book. #DoubleVision #NetGalley

This book really has it's ups and downs. One minute you're invested and enjoying the action and characters, the next you're wondering what is going on and yelling at the characters for being stupid. I well written story, that leaves some things unanswered, because you expect one thing to be revealed or at least elaborated on and it's seemingly forgotten...Overall not bad, just not top-notch either.

Well, first let me say the author writes well. But the author needs to choose whether they are writing comedy, mystery, pregnancy, organ selling or medical thriller. Ms hart tried to incorporate all in this story and it didn't work for me. It was a very .......well....dumb....story.
1st, why would Marta/Giselle involve themselves in this mystery?
2nd, Why after multiple attempts on her life, wouldn't Gisselle call in the police and step away. That part was ridiculous.
And then there was the multiple kisses on the check or the top of the head and touching Martas belly.. how many times does that have to happen?
No real romance here..other than devotion. Definitely no sex.
AND, the ending doesn't really make sense either.
I do not recommend the story but I do encourage the author to continue writing. Maybe a comedy...The dialog was crisp and clever. But the story was not.
I only finished it because I was given an advance copy to review.

This is a mystery read, also the second book but you will not have any problems just jumping in on this book. Very well written but I miss the romance, the couple has been together for 20 years and has a baby on the way. If you love mystery books this one is for you.

This was the second book I read by this author, and it was an improvement. The main characters, Giselle and Marta, together over 20 years, were now pregnant. But once again they found themselves involved in a murder mystery. Both Giselle and Marta received threatening notes to stop interfering. After Giselle’s last close call, Marta demanded they stop investigating and let the authorities handle it. They needed to prioritize, stay safe, and think about their unborn baby. However, the need for answers superseded all caution.

As with the first book, I liked the relationship between Marta and Giselle. After 20 years it was solid, supportive, and loving. However, the mystery part of the story left me with unanswered questions regarding the characters’ actions and the reasoning behind those actions. I also didn’t quite understand why two intelligent women would throw caution to the wind and put their lives, and their unborn child, at risk several times over.

The author writes relationships well, and I enjoyed that aspect of the story. If the story was centered more on their relationship, jobs, pregnancy...and less mystery…or maybe even omit the mystery…this would get a higher rating.

I’ve never read an Ellie Hart book before, so logically I didn’t know there is a book #1 «The Deep End». Ordinary I’m very fond of reading the books in order, but in this case, I think it was OK, not to know book one.

First, I liked Ellie Hart’s writing style, the flow was nice and despite the horrible topic of illegal organ transplants, it had some lightness. I know, organ trade and lightness really doesn’t match, the lightness is in the way the couple interacts with themselves.

Marta Perry and Giselle Cutler have been together for twenty years and they are dragged into another mystery. Marta is a social worker and she’s pregnant with the first baby for their family and Giselle is a vet at her own veterinary clinic. The mystery comes in form of Chrissy Burton, who was found dead in the bay but shortly after knocks on their door. What is going on?

The way the couple talks to each other and how they care and interact with each other, I liked the most. I could feel how connected and in love they are. It’s written in Giselle’s POV, and more than once I had to smile about her sarcastic comments and her thoughts. I loved her humor. The book lives on sarcasm and humor.

The topic of the mystery was scary, but it wasn’t that gripping like in some other mystery books. I was curious about why the dead body found floating in the bay was standing alive at Marta and Giselle’s doorstep. But it didn’t pull me in how I would have liked, I hadn’t the feeling that they should solve this mystery. There was not enough connection between Chrissy and the MCs, they even liked each other that much. For that, I was wondering why they got involved so much.

My rating for the mystery 3 stars, for the couple itself 4 stars.
Thanks to the author for receiving an ARC for an honest review

This was an average mystery book. This is the second book by Hart and contains the same characters as her first book The Deep End. I did not realize they were connected. I thought The Deep End was rough so I might have passed on this had I known. While I’m always a stickler for reading books in order, you can start with this book if you want. On the good side this book was absolutely better than the first. On the other side this story was still only okay.

You could probably put this book into the cozy mystery category. I don’t remember any sex scenes and there was no explicit violence. The two main characters are in a long-term committed relationship, so there is no first-time romance either.

Both main characters are perfectly nice. One of my issues with the first book is I felt far away from the characters. It was like I was watching scenes from the book through a foggy window. And because of that I felt like I could not connect to them. This book was an improvement, you do feel like you know the characters better, but it’s still not perfect. I still didn’t connect as much as I always hope to.

The other main issue is I wasn’t crazy about the mystery. It was fine, but it didn’t move me. There were no real clues to follow along with. And when it was time for “the bad guy/girl” big reveal, I felt more like saying "really? Then why did this and this happen?" Unfortunately I cannot continue this gripe without giving up a huge spoiler so I won’t. But I wish I could bitch about it since I don’t think it completely works.

This is not a book I can recommend but I won’t say stay away either. The problem is there are better mysteries out there, but at least it wasn’t bad read.

I ARC received via NetGalley and in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoy this book. Definitely going to get the first because I want to learn more about Giselle and Marta.

Giselle and Marta have been together for twenty years and now going to have their first child. Giselle runs her veterinary clinic and Marta is a social worker then one-day they have unexpected visitor Marta boss Chrissy but what shocking they just watch on the the news that they found Chrissy body if this is true why is she standing in front of them now.

Giselle feels compel to solve this mystery. I like that Marta and Giselle been together for years and they play off each other well this was a good mystery I'm looking forward to the next book.

I enjoyed this book. I wish I had known there was a previous book to get the history of their relationship, I'm picky that way. This story functions perfectly well as a stand alone. The premise was interesting and unusual. I found myself worrying about Marta's pregnancy with every twinge, afraid the drama and danger of the book would cause terrible complications, but that just added more tension so maybe the author was aiming for that. I'm definitely going to get the first book and reread this one again after.

I enjoyed this much more than I did the first one, ‘The Deep End’, and even though it features the same main characters, they don’t need to be read in series. Giselle and Marta have been together for twenty years and Marta is pregnant with their first child. Giselle runs her veterinary clinic and Marta is a social worker but on a day when morning sickness is particularly bad, both of them take the day off only to have an unexpected visitor in the form of Marta’s boss, Chrissy Burton. Strangely though, Giselle has just seen on the news that Chrissy’s body has been found in the bay so how is it that she’s standing on their doorstep?

Giselle and Marta grew on me as characters and I liked them as a couple. Having been together for twenty years they have an easy way with each other and a clear understanding of each other’s idiosyncrasies. Giselle feels compelled to ponder and unravel mysteries even when they seem to have very little to do with her and Marta finds herself having to get involved in order to temper Giselle’s cavalier attitude.

I enjoyed their interaction but I was terribly engaged by the mystery. I found there wasn’t enough of a connection built up between the two main characters and Chrissy or her PA, Bev, which meant that I didn’t care about them very much. I didn’t see why Giselle was involved at all beyond an intellectual pursuit.

Overall, the romance isn’t quite strong enough to carry the story and the mystery lacked the tension to carry the romance. I guess if you like a slow-paced, gentle read without angst, this might work for you.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.